Archaeological practice in large transportation-related corridors: The I-270 archaeological mitigation project

St. Louis, Missouri and its sister city, East St. Louis, Illinois straddle the intersection of the Mississippi, Missouri, and Illinois rivers, one of the major riverine transportation hubs in the midcontinental United States. Historically this area controlled access to much of the western and northern American continent. It was the jumping off point for French, and later, American expeditions to the west including the most famous of these, the Lewis and Clark expedition at the opening of the 19th century. The continuing growth of the St. Louis metropolitan area is supported by an increasingly complex transportation infrastructure that includes riverine, railway, highway and air facilities.